No reason to believe the surveys

By Herbert Vego

WHILE studying Journalism in a Manila university decades ago, I had a professor – the late Angel Anden – who would often remind us students, “Just call a spade a spade.”

We did it for our college publication. For that was how newspapers in those days gained credibility as the primary source of correct information.

For example, in those good old days before the late President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos declared martial law in 1972, fake mind-conditioning surveys were not the stuff that determined who would win the elections.

Not so today when even post-election surveys constitute a good percentage of unbelievable stories reported in both the mainstream and social media. With due respect to the “believers,” I consider them fake news.

Take note that last April 20, all Manila-based newspapers carried an OCTA Research survey with 1,200 respondents which showed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.  and Vice President Sara Duterte gaining “impressive” satisfaction and trust ratings.

Marcos’ satisfaction rating hit 80 percent kuno; Duterte higher at 84%.

Marcos also tailed Duterte with 83% trust rating; she scored 87%.

The numbers, incidentally, also remind us that VP Inday Sara had scored higher than President BBM in the 2022 election.  He had 31 million votes rounded off while Sara had 32 million.

Can you honestly believe those numbers?

I can’t because I see no reason why Bongbong and Inday Sara have become so popular. It’s only under his watch that the price of onion has skyrocketed to ₱700 per kilo.  Inflation has run away so fast it’s hard for stagnant wage earners to catch up.

And why has the “vice” eclipsed the chief executive? Because she is the daughter of the former president whose “war on drugs” has killed thousands of ordinary shabu users and pushers but has enriched alleged drug lords like Congressman Arnolfo Teves?

Because she wants the abolished Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) to be re-included in the curriculum?  So here comes “False Asia” lying that 8 of 10 Filipinos would want ROTC back to instill discipline in the youth.

Aha, if the commercial pollsters are propagating the idea that Inday would beat Bongbong in a future election, then it would be easy to guess who is or who are the people behind the surveys.

Ewan ko.  But if you ask me, BBM with his ₱4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds and Sara with her ₱500 million have not done well enough to earn the admiration of the people.

Let us look back to those days preceding the May 9, 2022 election when Aling Leni was attracting spontaneous warm bodies in her rallies while Bongbong was relying on hakot audience.

Pero pitik sintas, it was Bongbong who got 31 million votes against Leni’s 15 million. That really bothered us, since she had defeated him in the 2016 vice-presidential race.

Here comes another survey, this time from the Social Weather Stations (SWS), citing 89% of Filipinos “satisfied” with how democracy works in the Philippines.

Has democracy made itself felt in the Department of Justice (DOJ) which could not prosecute suspects behind extra-judicial killings? And yet it vehemently opposes “intervention” by the International Criminal Court (ICC); and has also kept Sen. Leila De Lima behind bars for almost six years on trumped-up drug charges despite retraction by harassed witnesses.

If that is how “democracy” works in our country, then it’s time to stop wondering why foreign investors are “allergic” about investing here.

-oOo-

CHINA WORKING FOR WORLD ‘FOOD SHORTAGE’?

HOW true is the report attributed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture?

According to Bloomberg.com, the DA predicted that China would soon have 69% of the globe’s corn reserves, 60% of its rice and 51% of its wheat.

“Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.”

Chinese President Xi Jingping must have thought of that.

But the quotation was from Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State (1973-77) during the era of the late President Richard Nixon.

Right now, according to the report, 38 million Americans are struggling with food insecurity.

I find that hard to believe.  But it’s probably true here in the Philippines where BBM sees rice importation as the “solution” to rice shortage.  We now import rice from China and other Asian countries.

The subdivision developers/rice importers must be laughing daily on their way to the banks while the land-dispossessed rice farmers are crying and begging for rice to eat.

Right, Sen. Cynthia?

-oOo-

CENECO GM, A HUMBLE MAN

IF there is one adjective that best describes the character of acting general manager Arnel Lapore of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), it is “humility”.

This corner salutes him for admitting that the cooperative is losing and therefore is receptive to a joint venture agreement (JVA) with Ignite Power, a subsidiary of the Iloilo City-based MORE Power. Like MORE Power, Ignite Power has the visionary Roel Z. Castro as president and chief executive officer.

“It will give fresh life to Ceneco,” he told the Bacolod media. “Ceneco is losing ₱15 to ₱20 million a month due to the subsidy to the system’s loss. We can’t afford to continue bleeding until we can no longer pay our power suppliers.”

Ignite Power would rescue the “bleeding” electric distribution utility by parlaying 70% of the value of CENECO assets. For instance, if the assets are worth ₱2 billion, Ceneco would receive ₱1.4 billion.

And of course, as reported by our Bacolod bureau chief Dolly Yasa, Power Watch-Negros (PWN), led by labor leader Wennie Sancho, has also boosted public support for the proposed joint venture agreement

Power Watch Negros’ support is grounded on the premise that an efficient distribution utility will attract more investors and create more job opportunities that will sustain the needs of the people.